Muscles

Ladies,

In the past several weeks, I was feeling hopeless. I was tormented by anxiety and discontent. Not only that, but I was slipping into sinfulness. Dangerous place for a Christian to be.

What happened? Well, I told myself it was because I experienced a crushing disappointment. But the truth is, I allowed myself to get spiritually weak. Because I blamed God, rather than trusting Him, I started to gradually slip away from Him. I didn't pray as often. I hardly ever read my Word. I didn't even go to church...and worship--yeah, right.

The net result, I found myself in a very dangrous place. People would call me for encouragement, and I had nothing to give them. I was not connected to the Source of my strength. I felt ashamed...so I avoided God even more.

Finally, I went to church. I confessed my disappointment, right there in the sanctuary. and I felt the Holy Spirit telling me he understands that I was angry and disappointed that thing had not gone my way, but that He loved me and wanted the best for me and that my heart was His priority. I needed to trust Him.

So, I dove right back into my spiritual disciplines. I committed first of all to read God's Word in 66 days. (Keep me in your prayers!!) Also, I started again to journal my feelings and thoughts and prayers before the Lord. I also got serious about prayer, even praying again for the thing that caused me so much disappointment, sighting the scripture Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD ?." And you know what? God forgave me and immediately received me with open arms.

If you are experiencing, some of those things I was talking about, that is, disappointment, depression, anxiety, discontentment and even sinfulness, don't run from God, as I did at first. Turn to Him. He will IMMEDIATELY receive you. He doesn't hold a grudge at all. If you want me to pray with you call our prayer line at 202-204-2769.

--Saucy Sister

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July 9, 2007

Muscles
By Melissa Taylor

“I love you Lord; you are my strength.” Psalm 18:1 (NLT)

Devotion:

I just finished reading an article telling me that once you hit the age of 40, you start to lose muscle. Well, recently I hit 40, so this piqued my interest. After further reading, this same article stated, “Muscle loss slows down our metabolic rate, makes it harder for us to control our weight, weakens our bones, and leaves us more susceptible to diabetes” (“Saving Muscle”, Nutrition Action Newsletter, April, 2007).

Wow, I thought. The same is true of our spiritual muscles. With the exception of the age-40 part, the same thing happens to us when we don’t exercise our spiritual muscles. You know what spiritual muscles are, don’t you?

Our spiritual muscles are our heart and mind. In order to keep our heart and mind spiritually fit, we must exercise them by reading God’s Word, praying, and keeping a godly perspective in everyday life. If we stop doing these things, our spirit grows weak because we don’t have the fuel we need to handle life free of fear, worry, insecurity, and uncertainty. I’ve learned the hard way that when I don’t exercise my spiritual muscles daily, these weaknesses creep back into my life and I forget the awesome power I once had.

As I continued to read on in this article about saving our muscles, there was some good news. It said that even if we haven’t exercised in years, our bodies will give us a second chance. “Just two months of strength-building exercises can reverse two decades of a typical person’s muscle loss.” That’s encouraging!

Guess what ladies? There is even better news for our spiritual muscles. If you make a decision to spend time filling yourself with God’s Word, drawing strength from Him, pursuing an ongoing and personal relationship with Him, you can reverse a lifetime of hopelessness, weakness, fear, or any other kind of bondage. Our spiritual muscles can be built or rebuilt. It begins as soon as your first workout!

So, if you find that busyness, work, family, or just life in general has kept you from your spiritual workout, decide to make a change today. It’s never too late! God is all about second chances. Plus, when you tackle life with strong spiritual muscles, the rest just seems to fall into place.


Dear Lord, I love You, and You really are my strength. Help me to never forget that as I go through my days. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Related Resources:

His Princess, Love Letters from Your King, by Sheri Rose Shepherd
The Confident Woman, Knowing Who You Are in Christ, by Anabel Gilham

Application Steps:

Read all of Psalm 18. Underline or highlight all the words that pertain to strength and being strong spiritually.

Reflections:

1. Are you taking good care of yourself both physically and spiritually?

2.What changes can you make so that you are getting a good spiritual workout each day?

3. Is the Lord your personal trainer?



Power Verses:

Psalm 18:32, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (NIV)

John 15:5, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (NLT)

Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (NIV)



Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
http://www.proverbs31.org/